On Stravinsky

Igor Stravinsky is often considered something of a revolutionary, in part based on the riotous reception of his ballet The Rite of Spring. Stravinsky's career, however, suggests more evolution than revolution. Perhaps no other composer in this century -- or any -- has written in such a variety of styles. And it is the unique genius of Stravinsky that his musical personality is detectable in each of these styles

With his ballet The Rite of Spring in 1913, with its representations of prehistoric pagan Russian rituals and sacrifice, Stravinsky's music ignited the most famous riot in the history of music. With its savage rhythms, absence of melody, and barbaric energy, The Rite of Spring marks the true beginnings of Twentieth Century music, and even today never fails to thrill or amaze listeners.

Stravinsky is one of the most original creative musicians of the 20th century. In a career spanning six decades, he composed a glittering sequence of works of astonishing diversity, from the three, vividly colorful early Russian ballets, through the sharp wit and purity of his `neo-classical' scores and the powerful spirituality of works like the Symphony of Psalms and the Mass, to the highly individual application of serialism in the late works